WWF

PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times) – Environmental groups have expressed alarm at the Laotian National Assembly’s approval last week of the concession for the Don Sahong Dam project, which has been described as an “ecological time bomb” about to be dropped on the Mekong River.

The Laotian government and the project’s developer, Malaysia’s MegaFirst Corporation Berhad, must postpone construction until further impact assessments are conducted, the World Wildlife Fund’s Cambodia office said in a statement.

WWF-Malaysia has urged the Government to adopt best practices to improve the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system to better protect the environment.

Noting the recent disagreements between three parties concerned with regards to the shrimp aquaculture development in Pitas, WWF-Malaysia believes that the cause of the disagreement goes beyond misunderstanding and miscommunication of the EIA review process.